Concrete Calculator – Find Yards or Bags Needed for a Slab or Footing

Calculate the yards of concrete or how many pre-mixed bags of concrete are needed to pour a slab, patio, footing, column, or post fill project, including circular slabs and patios. Estimate the cost of materials if you know the price per yard.

Concrete Material Estimate

CubicYards:

Pre-mix40# Bags:

Pre-mix60# Bags:

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Estimating How Much Concrete You Need

Concrete is sold by the cubic yard, or in pre-mixed bags. A cubic yard is just a standard volume, measured in yards. For rectangular areas, find cubic yardage by multiplying the project width, length, and height in yards. For circular patios or columns, multiply the radius by the radius by 3.14 by the height using measurements in yards. If you aren’t measuring in yards, convert all measurements to yards first using our length conversion calculators.

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Using a Concrete Calculator

Our calculator can estimate the yards of concrete needed by entering the project dimensions in imperial or metric measurements, including inches, feet, yards, centimeters, or meters. You’ll also get the number of 40 pound, 60 pound, or 80 pound bags of concrete are needed for the project. For example, a 10′ x 10′ slab that is 4″ thick will need an estimated 1.23 yards3 or 74 60lb bags of concrete and will cost roughly $100.

Step by Step Without a Calculator

Measure the length, width, and height of the slab, footing, or column. If the area is complex or if multiple pours are needed, break the project into smaller pieces and calculate the concrete yardage of each individually. For instance, if you are measuring a slab that is not a rectangle or circle, break it into different sections and measure the yardage of each section first, then add the cubic yards together.

Multiply the width times the length times the height (W x L x H). You can also use our volume calculator to find cubic yardage of a space.

Convert the volume to cubic yardage from cubic feet. To do so, divide the cubic footage by 27 to get the cubic yardage.

Round up to the nearest yard as most suppliers will likely not sell fractions of a yard. It is worthwhile to ask your supplier if they will sell a partial yard of material, but the most do not.

Estimate how many pre-mixed bags needed for smaller projects. For smaller projects it may not be practical to order a truck load and pre-mixed bags of concrete make the most sense. You can purchase bags of concrete from your local home center.

It takes 90 40lb bags of concrete to fill 1 cubic yard of volume.

It takes 60 60lb bags of concrete to fill 1 cubic yard of volume.

It takes 45 80lb bags of concrete to fill 1 cubic yard of volume.

Add 5%-10% additional material to account for settling, spillage, and waste. This will ensure you can complete your project in a single pour without needing to get more concrete to complete the project if you’re short.

Estimating the Cost to Install Concrete

The average cost to install a concrete slab is $6 – $16 per square foot. In addition to the cost of the concrete itself, there are also labor costs for preparing the area, the pour, and the finish. A standard brush finish will likely be on the low end of the price range, while a decorative finish with coloring will be on the high end of the range. Consider getting a professional concrete installation estimate from contractors in your area for a more accurate cost estimate.

Preparing to Pour Concrete

Much of the work to pour concrete is done before the truck even arrives at the project. The site must be measured and laid out. Forms must be installed to create the edges of a slab or contain a footing. Rebar should be installed to reinforce the concrete and to prevent cracking in the future. Use our rebar material calculator to estimate the amount of rebar needed for your project. Make sure the installation team is ready for the installation and able to begin as soon as the truck arrives to avoid having it set up before the project can be completed and minimize idle time.

Tips For Ordering Concrete

Call your concrete supplier and tell them about your project and what the project is. Ask them to advise you on the proper mix given your application and region. They can tell you what will work best to support the strength requirements and freeze/thaw cycles in your region.

Consider additional costs for ready-mix concrete delivery. Typically, there are fees for delivery, weekend service, small loads, and overtime for long unloading times. Call your concrete supplier and understand these costs ahead of time and plan accordingly.

Order additional concrete for your project. The amount of overage you plan for will vary based on your quantity, but plan for at least 10% overage to accommodate spillage, settling, and grading inconsistencies. This will save you from a bad pour in the event that your estimates are even slightly off.

Using Bags of Concrete

If your project is small you can use pre-mixed bags of concrete. Concrete bags come in 40 pound, 60 pound, or 80 pound bags. Mixing bags on-site can become difficult if you’re pouring a large slab or have many footings. Using concrete bags can be easier when you have many small pours or a small project where a truck is not practical or cost-effective. For the most part, ready-mix concrete from a truck is more cost-effective than bags and makes sense if you have a mid size project and can pour all at once.

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